Temple Theatre Brings Holiday Magic To Sanford With ‘A Christmas Carol’
With the holidays in full swing, the Temple Theatre in Sanford continues its centennial season with the return of their most popular productions, A Christmas Carol. This original, homegrown production by the Temple team provides a mystifying musical twist on the delightful Dickensian classic.
From The Page To The Stage
It’s abundantly clear that the Temple Theatre’s cast and crew, much like the show’s central protagonist, spared no expense in bringing the spirit of Christmas to the Sanford stage.
In my earlier review of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat I posited that the Temple staff was likely saving their more extravagant set designs for future shows throughout the season. Well, after seeing A Christmas Carol, I can confidently attest that my theory was correct.
From the second the curtain opens you are instantly transported to 19th century London. Every scene, from the town square to Scrooge’s bed chambers to Fezziwig’s banquet haul, was adorned with impressively detailed backdrops. The costumes all seemed period appropriate enough to provide near-complete immersion as well. I’m sure there’s some person out there who would be happy to pedantically analyze whether or not the length of the men’s peacoats is historically accurate, but that person is thankfully not me.
Scrooge Shines
As lavish as the sets and costumes may be, any successful retelling of A Christmas Carol isn’t complete without the story’s key character, Ebenezer Scrooge.
I believe the role of the curmudgeon old miser is honestly one of the trickier parts to play throughout the whole story. While the character certainly plays as more grounded and withdrawn than that of the other townsfolk or the Christmas spirits who visit him, there’s a delicate balancing act that any actor for Scrooge must achieve.
You of course initially want to play up Ebenezer’s less admirable qualities like his endless greed and calloused disregard for the Christmas season as a whole. The risk you run with such a character, however, is that if those qualities are played up too much then the audience leans toward hating Scrooge rather than pitying him.
Fortunately, this was not an issue with Scrooge actor Peter Battis, who expertly captured the pathos of the haunted businessman in a way that evoked much more sympathy than utter contempt. Watching present-day Scrooge revisit old memories from his youth and early adulthood and mournfully lamenting on past mistakes makes for such a satisfying finale when the spirit of the season overtakes him. You feel compelled to rejoice in his return to the light alongside him.
Every pang of regret, every sorrowful cry for mercy, every moment of subdued self-reflection is perfectly captured by Battis. His gradual shift in stance, facial movements, and line delivery throughout the show slowly strips away the cold and calloused veneer that the other townsfolk came to know him by. I applaud Battis for his flawless performance of Scrooge, along with the supporting ensemble of characters who brought this production to life.
Temple’s Score Scores
A Christmas Carol is arguably one of the Temple’s most ambitious shows of every season of which it’s a part. Not only is the production value highly demanding, but adding original music to such a beloved classic is no small gamble.
Having seen this show countless times throughout my life, however, I had no reservations about the musical performances going into this year’s production. The show delivers nothing short of fun, jaunty songs to ring in the holidays.
In addition to the originally-written and composed musical numbers, the Temple’s version of Christmas Carol also peppers in classic tunes like “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” and “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The latter of those songs is also, incidentally, my favorite scene of the entire show. I credit longtime Temple veteran Patrick Holt for maintaining such unmatched energy for a song that demands so much of its performer.
Production Perfection
This is usually where I offer my critiques for the show. However, try as I might I genuinely can’t think of anything I truly disliked about my viewing of this show. From the sets, to the acting, to the music and choreography, everything just came together in such a beautiful display of pageantry.
Much like the Temple Theatre itself, the historic venue’s production of A Christmas Carol stands the test of time. It holds a notable distinction as one of best shows in the Temple’s 100 years of operation.
Temple Theatre’s A Christmas Carol is running December 5-22. Visit templeshows.com for details and tickets.
KC’s Final Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
God bless us, everyone!
